Chargers center Hardwick ready to get back on his feet

The exact day or date of his epiphany – albeit brief – he cannot remember. Nick Hardwick can only guesstimate that it was “about two months ago,” sometime during training camp and the preseason.

He felt nothing.

It felt good.

“My foot felt normal, and that's when I really knew for the first time that I'd be able to play again,” said Hardwick, the Chargers' center with the Pro Bowl on his résumé. “I felt like I was walking on air. I remember being in the weight room and thinking, 'Hey, this is gonna work.' ”

In time. Everything in its own time.

“Three hours later,” said Hardwick, “that feeling of no pain was gone.”

That's how it is with the recovery from any major injury, especially ones that leave you with multiple surgical scars, and most especially an injury to the part of the body that's literally the foundation of virtually everything you do on a football field. It was a ravaged right foot, originally injured during last year's game against the Oakland Raiders on Oct. 14, that has caused Hardwick to miss every snap in 2008 and even wonder if his career might be over.

There's a very real possibility Hardwick will return to the starting lineup Sunday – against the Raiders, of all teams – though the Chargers clearly will handle that assignment in much the same way they brought left tackle Marcus McNeill back into play Monday night. It's a decision best saved for the weekend.

“We'll try to work our way through this week of practice and see if I'm ready or not,” said Hardwick, who actually returned to the practice field two weeks ago on a limited basis. “I feel ready.”

A free agent signed in the offseason as insurance against Hardwick's unavailability, veteran Jeremy Newberry performed up to expectations in the first three games, and the offensive line is coming off a plus game Monday night. Hardwick, however, is the offense's center in more way than one.

“He's the leader of our offensive line,” said running back LaDainian Tomlinson. “With him being as experienced as he is and being on this team for a long time, he's seen everything you could possibly see. He knows the ins and outs of the offense, and he makes it that much easier for us.

“A lot of time, Nick doesn't really have to make the call. We all understand where he's going to go and what call he's going to make. We're on the same page, and that happens when you work with a guy for so long.

A neck injury likewise kept McNeill inactive through much of training camp, all exhibition games and the first two weeks of the regular season. To have Hardwick back would complete the blocking group that was much a part of the Chargers' division titles of '06 and '07, though that sort of thing also takes time.

“There is a whole difference between practice and real-live play,” said McNeill. “I hadn't had any real-live contact since New England last year (the AFC Championship Game). You practice to get prepared, but of course the game speeds up. Nick's been around for a long time, so he'll be able to handle it.”